Rise to Fame
by flashily
Summary: Sometimes hitting it big isn't easy. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it comes down to pure chance and being in the right place at the right time. It's always hard work. Axel/Saïx with eventual Axel/Roxas. Great big music industry AU. M for sex, drugs & RnR.
1. Too Drunk to Fuck

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters. They belong to Tetsuya Nomura, Square Enix and some to Disney.

**Author's Note:** Thanks to Maxie, my superb beta who catches all my stupid typos and more. Set sometime between the present and not too distant future, mostly in Chicago, lying somewhere between reality and pure fantasy. Axel/Saïx with eventual Axel/Roxas. Some other pairings here and there. Great big music industry AU. Rated M for sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Too Drunk to Fuck**

* * *

Quite possibly, Leon thought, the only thing worse than riding in a crowded elevator was doing so when you were crammed in the corner and couldn't look at the door. From that position the only option is to make awkward eye contact with an equally awkward stranger. Only viable option. It was entirely possible to look up at a corner or just past someone, but then you wound up looking like an antisocial douchebag. Not that Leon had a problem with that.

Of course, this second option only worked when you were the tallest person in the elevator. It was infinitely more awkward to make eye contact with the tall stranger in the opposite corner when you were expecting to see wall. This particular stranger quirked an eyebrow, his lips curving into a knowing smirk.

Leon stared blankly at the stranger, as though he could look right through the bright flame red hair, spiked back sharply, and past the vibrant green eyes surrounded by smudged eyeliner - and were those tattoos under his eyes? His expression didn't falter and neither did the other man's. The elevator dinged and the stranger moved to exit the elevator, maneuvering through the crowd of people in such a way that he brushed past Leon on his way out.

The door was about to close when Leon realized this was the floor he needed off on too and he scrambled out of the elevator, regaining his complete sense of unaffected cool within seconds of the elevator door closing behind him.

"The name's Axel," the stranger said from his position leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and that same smirk from in the elevator still playing at his lips. "Got it memorized?"

Leon paid - _Axel, was it?_ - no attention and turned to head down the corridor to his client's room. He didn't have time for this.

"I'll be down in the bar later. Come find me," Axel called out after him. "You know, if you get bored... or anything." His last words trailed off as Leon turned out of sight. Axel thought that could have gone much worse than it had.

* * *

The next day found them in a similar situation, both men in a crowded elevator forced to make awkward eye contact. Not that Axel found it awkward. He found it so opposite of awkward that he went out of his way to make it more awkward. Speaking loud enough for Leon to hear him - meaning loud enough for the entire elevator to hear him - Axel asked, "Why'd you blow me off like that last night?"

The elevator dinged and not paying attention to what floor it was, Leon got off and walked away. He didn't turn around to see if Axel was following him. He didn't need to. He didn't care.

"This isn't your floor, you know," Axel said, catching up to him. When Leon didn't respond Axel continued. "So, maybe we got off to a bad start. Let's try again. The name is Axel, and yours is?"

"Leon," he responded, staring straight ahead as they walked. Leon wasn't sure where they- _he_ was walking to, or how he was going to lose this man that was following him around.

"So, why'd you blow me off last night, _Leon_?" Axel turned around and stepped in front of Leon, walking backwards.

"I didn't."

"You never came down to the bar," Axel pointed out.

"I wasn't bored." Leon sighed and turned down another corridor, which lead to the elevators on the south side of the hotel.

"Oh. Well. I'll be there again tonight," Axel said, stopping in front of the elevators. "I won't bother you again if you don't show up," he lied.

"How thoughtful." Leon crossed his arms as they waited for the elevator. Just a few more minutes of this and he'd never have to see Axel again.

"You know what I don't get," Axel said. Leon was quickly becoming aware of just how much Axel didn't like silence. "Is why this hotel has no name. It's just called 'Hotel'. Which would be fine if it weren't for the fact that Chicago is a pretty big city to have a hotel without a name." He paused for a breath and to give Leon a chance to say something, but when his pause was met with nothing but silent agitation (well masked agitation, at that) he continued on. "If a hotel doesn't have a name it may as well not exist. I like to call this The-Hotel-That-Never-Was. What do you think?"

The elevator arrived and Leon stepped in, followed quickly by Axel. "It doesn't matter." The tone of Leon's voice made it clear that the conversation was over and for once, Axel took the hint. When Leon arrived at his floor, Axel remained, allowing them to go their separate ways. Axel held the open door button until Leon disappeared around the corner.

* * *

Midnight rolled around and Axel spotted Leon sitting alone at a table near the back of the hotel bar. Not the only bar on the hotel's lobby floor, but the only one explicitly for the hotel's clientele and their guests. There were several empty glasses around him, rings of condensation surrounding them. The chair opposite Leon was askew and Axel took this as an invitation to join him.

"So, decided to come be social after all or did I interrupt a one man pity party because it looks like you're on the way to drinking yourself into oblivion," Axel said, nudging one of the glasses with a knuckle.

"Business meeting," Leon replied, his voice clear and crisp - a rather obvious sign that very little, if any at all, of the drinking had been done by him.

"Of course you're here on business. Everyone in this hotel is. Music industry, or other?" Axel asked, though he already knew the answer. "I'm in music. Manager for a band called Eight-Finger Dichotomy. Ever hear of them? Recently got signed to an independent label - Thirteen - but the owner is a real controlling bastard. They're working on cutting their first record, making use of one of the recording studios and the practice rooms up on the nineteenth floor. They're pretty ace if you ask me, though a bit eccentric in their choice of instruments. They don't have any regular electric guitar, they have an electric _sitar_. Have you ever heard of a electric sitar as the main guitar in a rock band? I know plenty of bands have used it for a song or two, but for nearly every song? Anyway, they've also got a drummer with a pretty wicked sense of rhythm, though you gotta be careful around him - he's got a temper like I've never seen. All calm and collected one second then BAM!" Axel slammed his hand on the table, causing Leon to blink. "He's a fucking berserker the next. He destroyed his one of his drums earlier this week and I've been sitting here bored out of my mind waiting on him to get it repaired. He refuses to replace it. Said there's too much sentimental value in it or some crap. I think he's just pissed off at Xemnas - that's the independent label bastard. Oh, and then their keyboardist and lead vocalist has this unbelievably enchanting voice. You'd swear she was a witch," he laughed, talking about the band members as though they weren't some of his best friends, but some kids who hired him because he could talk.

Leon wondered when he was supposed to answer the questions that Axel had asked when the other man finally took a break from talking to laugh. "Yes, music. No, I haven't." He was about to excuse himself from Axel's company when the waitress came over to the table.

"I'll take a Long December and he'll have," Axel motioned towards Leon, "two of whatever it was he was drinking before I joined him." The waitress nodded and walked off. Axel watched for a brief moment before turning back to Leon. "She was a looker, wasn't she? Did you see that rack?" He tastefully refrained from using his hands to imitate the size of her chest.

Leon stared blankly at Axel. This was quickly becoming routine. Axel would say something inane and Leon would stare blankly at him in response. The conversation continued this way until the waitress returned with the drinks - Axel struggling to wheedle any little bit of information from Leon that he could all the while making it impossible for Leon to get a word in edgewise. The waitress set down Axel's drink in front of him - a mixture of rum, hot cinnamon schnapps, sweet & sour and apple juice on the rocks - then placed two lowballs of scotch - neat - in front of Leon before walking away.

"Oh no. No. I can't let you drink that. No wonder you're so boring and _stiff_," Axel said. "You're going to drink this and I'll take those." He pushed the oversized cocktail glass of full of a fruity yet spicy mixed drink across the table and stole the scotch lowballs from Leon pounding them down one after the other. Completely the wrong way to enjoy scotch, but Axel wasn't going to waste his time sipping something as boring as that. He flagged down the waitress and asked for another Long December.

"What _is_ this?" Leon asked, eyeing the drink with disdain. The look only increased as Axel listed off the ingredients. "Sounds like a girl drink."

"I wasn't aware drinks had gender identities," Axel said with a sigh. "If you don't drink it I will and then _you're_ going to have to escort a very drunk me back up to my room because there's another one on it's way and I'm not letting good booze go to waste." He paused and then smirked, "Unless that's what you were hoping for." He was determined to get a foot in with Leon, knowing full well what company he worked for. Through sex wasn't the option he'd prefer, but if that's what it would take, it was a sacrifice he'd be willing to make. Saïx would forgive him. Maybe.

Leon took a sip of the beverage - a little sweet for his tastes, but oh, a little spicy too. Overall, it was a fairly well balanced drink in terms of flavor. He took another drink from the glass and decided that maybe Axel did know what he was talking about.

The waitress returned shortly with Axel's drink. The fiery young man continued speaking at a breakneck pace, pausing only to take long draws from his glass, his speech slurring slightly as he drank more and more of it. Leon slowly worked on his own drink, nodding and filling Axel's pauses with the occasional yes, no, or other monosyllabic response. It was lucky for them both that Axel liked the sound of his own voice. Or at least lucky for Axel. Leon thought he could deal with sitting here in silence and enjoying a lowball or two of scotch.

"You know. This reminds me of Lost in Translation. Kind of. Maybe. I'm drunk and might be making random connections. You ever see that? Good movie, you should watch it sometime. Only thing we're missing here is a dotty red headed lounge singer..." Axel paused, then laughed, "...want me to sing you a song?"

Leon wasn't sure how he should respond, but his train of thought was abruptly cut off when Axel continued speaking, "I have to warn you, if you do. There's a reason I'm the manager and not out there owning that stage," and did he _ever _shut up? Not that he was complaining, the more time Axel spent talking the less time he had to.

He made a small noise in the back of his throat that Axel took to mean 'I'll pass.'

The night stretched on, the number of empty glasses on the table slowly multiplying, speech getting more and more slurred, harder to comprehend. Shortly before two in the morning, the waitress returned to sort out the tab (Axel said to put it on his room - he wasn't the one paying for it anyway) and kindly informed them that they should find somewhere else to continue their conversation, the bar was about to close.

"Well, Leon," Axel slurred, standing up, wobbling only slightly as he tried to find a sense of balance - any would do, it didn't necessarily have to be his own. "It was nice chatting with ya. I'll be down here again tomorrow night. If you decide that loosening up and pretending to be social isn't such a bad thing, I'll see you." With that, he turned and made his way across the bar, out to the hotel lobby and waited in front of the elevators where Leon joined him moments later. Axel turned to him and laughed, "Following me now? I thought it was supposed to be the other way around."

"We're both going up and these are the closest elevators," Leon replied, his tone indicating that he didn't find Axel's comment nearly as amusing as Axel did.

"You really need to work on your attitude," Axel said, shaking a finger at Leon. The elevator dinged and they both stepped inside, the elevator once again crowded (it was _always_ crowded) and Axel standing less than a foot away from Leon. One hand resting on his shoulder for balance as the elevator made it's way up. They reached Axel's floor and he staggered out, Leon stepping out a moment after.

"I'll walk you to your room," Leon said. "I know what you're after, and if you had a demo on you, I would have expected you to hand it over hours ago."

Axel laughed as they reached his door, realizing he'd forgot he had it with him. "Got it right here," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a jump drive. "I assume you have a computer. Give it a listen and I'll see you in the bar again tomorrow if you like it." He grinned and clapped a hand on Leon's shoulder, pretty sure he'd just said what he wanted to. "Good night."

Leon examined the jump drive before pocketing it. "Good night," he replied before turning and heading back to the elevator.

* * *

"You're shitfaced," Saïx said, glancing up from his book as Axel stumbled into the room after listening to the door beep off and on for the last several minutes as Axel had tried to open the door.

"No I'm not, the door's just being an asshole..." Saïx's expression screamed _bullshit_. "Okay, maybe a little," Axel laughed when he could see he wasn't buying it, flopping down on the bed, the back of his head landing on Saïx's legs as he brought his leg up to remove his boot. He fumbled with the laces before Saïx sighed and set his book down, pushing his hands out of the way and helping him remove the boot.

"They're not even tied. Other foot," Saïx murmured and Axel let one leg down then lifted the other.

"Thanks," he said, as his boot joined the other on the floor.

"You're more than a little shitfaced, Axel. You were supposed to loosen Leon up, not yourself." Saïx shook his head then went back to reading.

"Oops," Axel laughed. He glanced over at the other bed in the room. "Where's Demyx and Naminé?"

"Working on writing a new song. So did you get Leon to take the demo?"

"He's supposed to meet me down at the bar tomorrow night if he likes it." Axel looked up at Saïx and grinned. "I think I got our foot in."

"I'm coming with you tomorrow."

"Why? You don't need to, I can hold my own. I'm the manager. I manage. It's my job to do all the boring meetings."

"They can't be that boring if you come back like this." Saïx scowled.

"Jealous~?" Axel teased, elongating the word and smirking.

"Hardly." Meaning yes, Saïx was very jealous.

Axel gracelessly flopped around on the bed until he was laying on his stomach face inches from Saïx's. "I'm sure," he said with a laugh, arm nudging his leg.

Saïx tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear and sighed. "Not tonight. You reek and probably won't remember it in the morning."

"I always remember it."

"Except for when you don't." Saïx set his book down on the night stand. "Go to bed, Axel."

"Fiiiiiiiine," Axel huffed. He rolled over and stood up, nearly losing his balance. "You know, you're no fun."

"I'm plenty of fun when I don't have to deal with drunk assholes."

Axel started stripping out of his clothes, pausing after getting his shirt half off. "Where's my pjs?"

"I don't know. Does it matter? Just go to sleep already. Don't expect any sympathy when you're nursing that hangover in the morning."

"Bastard."

"That's you."

"Love you."

"No you don't. Good night."

"Ha ha. You're right," Axel laughed as he tossed his shirt to the floor. He unfastened his jeans and began shimmying out of them, falling back onto the bed to get them off once they were down to his knees. He struggled with getting them past his feet.

"It's not that complicated. Stop attention seeking." Saïx turned off the light, annoyed by Axel's drunken answer as he properly crawled into bed next to him, passing out within seconds.

* * *

"He's still not up?" Demyx asked, throwing a glare at the sleeping redhead. "What the hell? It's three o'clock. He was dead to the world when Naminé and I got in last night. How much did you exhaust him before he passed out?" He crinkled his nose.

"It was all his own doing," Saïx said, too focused on the computer in front of him to notice the look of distaste. "_Someone _decided to get plastered last night. Feel free to go scream in his ear if you want him up."

"I'll pass, thanks. Did he at least get our demo to Leon? Only reason Xemnas isn't breathing down our necks about your drum kit is because we got those lyrics in to him last night. Man, Axel better pull through on this." Demyx fidgeted with the torn sleeves of his hoodie.

"He got it. Axel's supposed to be meeting with Leon again tonight. I'll be tagging along to make sure he doesn't get wasted. You and Naminé should take the night off. We'll be back in the rehearsal studio tomorrow." Saïx looked up and pointed to the drum case in the corner. "I got the head replaced this morning."

"Good, because we've got a new song that won't be complete without your input. You know Nam and I are shit at coming up with anything you approve of for the rhythm section."

"That's not true."

"Name one time when you didn't scrap what we came up with."

Saïx pursed his lips and glared, biting back the anger threatening to well up within him.

"My point exactly. And we wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for your rhythmic genius and Axel's ability to talk our way into anything... for better or for worse," Demyx said with a sigh, pleased when Saïx's expression went placid, a sure sign his ire had cooled.

"Don't be modest." Saïx glanced over at a snoring Axel then back to Demyx. "Get out of here so I can wake Axel. We'll meet you at Standee's in an hour for dinner."

"Aye aye," Demyx said, running out of the room as quickly as he could.

* * *

Leon wasn't sure what to expect when he walked into the hotel bar to find Axel sitting next to a blue haired punk with a large x-shaped scar in the center of his face. He wondered if this was the drummer Axel had mentioned because nothing about the guy said "I play electric sitar," especially not the stoic yet displeased expression that rivalled his own.

"I don't think he's coming," Saïx grumbled. Axel was on his third drink already and frankly, he wanted to get out of there before Axel was too drunk to fuck.

"He's coming, I promise," Axel said. He looked around the room and then pointed out the man approaching from across the room, a manila envelope tucked under his arm, "Look, there he is."

"Which one?"

"The one with half your scar and the sullen looking scowl on his face. You sure he's not your brother?" Axel teased, poking Saïx in the shoulder.

"Positive," was the curt reply.

"Lighten up," Axel said, reaching under the table and squeezing Saïx's thigh.

"Am I interrupting?" Leon asked, noting the slight blush gracing Saïx's cheeks. He sat down across from the pair, placing the envelope on the table and ordered them a round of drinks when the server approached.

"Not at all," Axel said with a smirk.

"Great," Leon said, rather unenthusiastically. "I have some good news and some bad news."

"Bad news first," Saïx said, preferring to get it out of the way as quickly as possible.

"Bad news it is. We can't sign you right now." Axel's expression faltered, and Saïx managed to look even more displeased than he already was.

"And the good news?" Axel asked, his throat feeling suddenly dry.

"The good news is we just had a band disqualify from Radiant Records' annual battle of the bands competition. There are two grand prizes for the competition, being signed to one of Radiant's subsidiary labels - Destiny Records and Heartless Records, the latter being the label I represent. I listened to your demo last night then talked with the head of Radiant Records this morning about the vacancy, and you're invited to fill it. I think you guys stand a good chance of winning or at least making it to the finals." It was the most Axel had ever heard the other man say.

"That's two weeks from now, right?" Saïx asked.

"Yes."

"And it's a week long competition?"

"Yes."

Saïx leaned over and whispered into Axel's ear, who nodded before speaking. "It's going to be pushing it close on our getting out of the contract with Thirteen with minimal financial loss. What kind of figures can we expect for the signing bonus?"

"We can talk actual figures if you get signed," Leon said, taking a drink of the scotch the server had brought him. "It won't be much unless you're planning to record the album in a studio other than one of our own."

"We'd be using your studios, they're the best in town," Saïx said, trading his glass of water for Axel's beer.

"What are you doing?" Axel interrupted.

"I'm cutting you off for the night. You'll thank me later."

Axel scowled at Saïx and took a drink of the water. "And I'm supposed to be the one asking questions. It's my job."

"Very well," Leon said, shrugging off their argument. "If you're concerned about living costs, you don't have to worry. Radiant Records takes care of their own. You won't be seeing much of your royalties for awhile. I assume you write all your own lyrics and music?"

Saïx nodded, "No one outside of the band contributes to the creative process aside from telling us when something stinks."

Leon nodded approvingly.

"So, if we're not going to be seeing much money, how are we going to pay the breech of contract fees to Xemnas at Thirteen?" Axel asked.

"That's something we can discuss when the time comes." Leon took another drink of scotch before pushing the manila envelope across the table. "That contains all the information about the competition. All the rules, regulations and other fine print. Look it over and drop off the paperwork at my office by ten o'clock Monday morning. The disqualified band's entry fee will be forfeit to you should you accept all the terms."

"Why were they disqualified?"

"I can't share that with you, but you're welcome to draw your own conclusions as you read through the information packet."

"It was a pleasure meeting you," Saïx said, holding his hand out to Leon, who promptly took it and shook. "I'm sure Axel has another six thousand questions he'd like to ask you, but we've got a long night ahead of us and a busy day tomorrow, if you'll excuse us."

"Of course."

Axel picked up the envelope and grinned at Leon. "Thanks," he said, before practically running out of the bar to catch up with Saïx.


	2. Warm Winds of Santa Ana Feel All Right

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters. They belong to Tetsuya Nomura, Square Enix and some to Disney

**Author's Note:** I lied when I said I was going to post 3 chapters at once. I'm posting 4 instead. Don't expect this to be the norm. Thanks to Maxie, my superb beta who catches all my stupid typos and more. Set sometime between the present and not too distant future, mostly in Chicago, lying somewhere between reality and pure fantasy. Rated M for sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Warm Winds of Santa Ana Feel All Right**

* * *

"I know I've seen about three hundred different Mickey Mouses since we started working there, but you'll never guess what happened today," Sora said excitedly to his friends as they sat at two tables pushed together inside Vito's Pizza. "I was taking a break, and when I looked up from my pop, Mickey was approaching and he had his hand in a fist. I was worried for half a second and then BAM! his fist connected with mine. Mickey Mouse _brofisted_ me. It was so cool. And then he just walked away like it was nothing." He looked at his left hand reverently. "I'm never washing these knuckles again."

"I wonder if he was at our set last night?" Kairi replied. She'd already heard the story four times since it happened that afternoon, the first over the phone, again in front of Selphie, then again when Tidus and Wakka showed up, and once again now that Riku was with them.

"That's cool," Riku said flatly.

"Don't sound so down about it. Geeze," Sora replied, poking Riku in the arm.

"Maybe he's jealous," Tidus piped in, teasingly. Riku glared, his cheeks taking on a slightly pink hue.

"Oh my god, he is!" Selphie said, giggling.

"I am not." Riku crossed his arms, and slouched back in his seat.

"It's okay if you are, Riku," Sora said, laughing. "Why didn't you apply to work at Disneyland, too?"

"And risk getting banned from there for life? No thanks."

"How are things going at... wherever you're working now, brah?" Wakka asked, reaching for a slice of pizza from one of the two half empty pans in front of them.

"McDonalds?" Riku rolled his eyes. "Got fired."

"What did you do this time?" Kairi asked, shaking her head.

"I dumped a triple thick chocolate shake on some douchebag's head then told him it complimented him, that it brought out the bullshit in his eyes," Riku said, smirking as he thought about how satisfying it had felt.

"What did he do?"

"He was demanding his money back, saying 'I saw that silver hair faggot spit in it.' Which I didn't."

"Sounds like he deserved it." Kairi frowned, twirling her straw around in her glass, the ice clinking against the sides. Sora gave Riku's hand a comforting squeeze.

"Man, don't worry about it. In less than a month Paopu could have a record deal and then you wouldn't have to worry about service jobs ever again, you'll be a rich rock star!"

"It's not that easy, Tidus. They won't be rich for a long time, and only if they make it really big," Selphie said.

"Ice cream sounds good..." Sora thought out loud, still thinking about the milkshake. Perking up he looked around the table, "Let's go get some after we leave here. My treat!"

"Can't, man. I've got two tests to study for and a paper to write and I won't have any time tomorrow because it's my long day for classes." Tidus slumped just thinking about it.

"And we've got a water polo game," Wakka added.

"Yeah, that, too."

"Oh. Well, we'll see you at the gig Thursday, right?" Sora asked.

"Of course, man. Wouldn't miss it for the world. It's the last one before you guys take off for Chicago, right?" Selphie, Sora, Kairi and Riku all nodded.

* * *

FedEx Kinko's probably wasn't a good choice in hindsight. The customers tried left and right to get discounts, to argue their way into a better shipping price, anything and everything to get their way and annoy the living hell out of Riku. So, he couldn't exactly be blamed when he shoved some punk ass acne ridden teenager's face onto the glass plate of the copier and began photo copying it as he grilled him about his crime. He had it coming for trying to steal 500 pages of double sided copies. Riku's manager commended him for stopping a theft, but fired him for not following protocol in dealing with it.

He didn't want that job anyway.

* * *

"Kairi, hurry up already." Selphie played with her purse strap as she waited for Kairi to finish getting out of her Rosette costume. "Why does it always take you forever?"

"Because they insist we pile on the glitter for optimal fairy effect. I really wish I'd gotten the part of Ariel, but I wasn't tall enough for the costume."

"I know, you've told me a thousand times. Would it kill you to leave the glitter on today? We still need to grab Sora before he gets distracted by video games." Selphie started tapping her foot impatiently.

"Yes, it would. I'm almost done. Just wait a minute." Kairi scrubbed at her face, giving up on getting the last of it when Selphie's foot tapping started getting on her nerves. She looked herself over in the mirror, deciding a little glitter couldn't hurt. "Okay, we can go."

"_Finally_."

"Oh shut up. It's not like you don't take forever fixing your hair after your shifts."

Selphie pursed her lips and led the way out of the employee locker room, Kairi a step behind. They made their way towards Starcade where Sora worked, weaving in and out between all the tourists.

"How'd your shift go?" Kairi asked.

"I got some decent tips. I'm starting to get tired of the pirate music though. It's the same song over and over all day. I don't know whose bright idea it was to put a restaurant on the side of a ride, but I'm starting to wish I had picked a different one to work in. It sounded so cool at first."

"At least you'll be getting a break from it soon. Even longer of a break if we win." The girls grinned.

They arrived at the Starcade to find Sora slumped behind the counter looking like he wanted to die. "Ugh. Guys, I can't go. The guy who is supposed to be replacing me hasn't shown up yet."

"Can't you find someone else to cover for you?" Kairi asked.

"I tried, no one else who's trained in this area is available. Or if they are, they're not answering their phones. I know I wouldn't want to on a Friday especially when there's a big party going on."

"Lame. Give us a call when you get out of here? We can meet up then?" Selphie suggested.

"Yeah..." Sora sighed and slumped even further. "Apologize to Riku for me when you see him?"

"Of course." Kairi smiled.

"Cheer up or you're going to scare away all the kids," Selphie chided.

"You're doing a good enough job of that on your own," Sora teased.

"Bye, Sora," the girls said, waving as they headed back out into the warm sunlight. It was the hottest it had been all winter, perfect weather for a party at the beach.

* * *

It was ten to eleven when Sora finally arrived at the beach, the party already in full swing, music blaring from a stereo, loud enough to drown out the generator powering it. He scanned the crowd, looking for his friends. As he walked toward the bonfire, he bumped into the kid whose shift he'd just covered. "Thanks a lot," he grumbled and knocked his shoulder as he walked past, the kid spilling his beer down his shirt. Sora kept walking as though oblivious to what had happened and kept looking for any sign of Riku - he'd be the easiest to spot.

"There you are!" Selphie shouted, running towards him and engulfing him in a hug, her breath heavy with the scent of beer. "We thought you weren't coming."

"The kid never showed up, I had to cover the rest of his shift. Guess where he was?"

"Here?" Kairi asked and Sora nodded. "What a jerk. But you're here now, so cheer up!"

Riku handed him a beer and wrapped an arm around him. "Tidus and Wakka are down the beach a bit starting a smoke circle."

"That sounds really good right now." Sora took a long swig of his beer before taking Riku's hand and leading him down the beach, Kairi and Selphie a step behind them.

"Sora, my man," Tidus said, grinning widely as they sat down in the circle. "Thought you were gonna be a no show."

"Nah, had to work late. What've you got?" Sora sat between Riku's legs, using him like a living armchair.

"It's good, brah. Not that skunk shit like last time," Wakka said from across the circle, flanked on each side by a hot girl as he took a hit off the joint, passing to the left and exhaling into the girl on his right's mouth. When the girl on his left passed off she did the same for Wakka, exhaling into his mouth.

The joint continued through the rotation, Selphie getting it and passing it to Kairi before she passed it to Riku. He smirked at Wakka as he took a hit, quickly passing to Sora, who took a hit and passed to Tidus before crushing his lips to Riku's in a kiss, fingers sliding through his hair. Both opened their mouths to exchange the smoke, tongues sliding across each other, not pulling apart until they'd zeroed the hit.

"That was hot," one of Wakka's girls said. "Do that with me."

"No, with me," the other girl piped in.

"How about both? Plenty of me to go around."

"Man, Wakka, learn to share," Tidus grumbled.

"You know I don't swing that way, brah."

Selphie erupted into giggles, "Poor Tidus, all by his lonesome."

"How about it, Selph?"

"Believe it or not, I have standards."

"Ouch, Tidus," Riku said, sympathetically.

"You know if you're going to hit on Selphie it's gotta be before you hit on anyone else," Kairi said, laughing as Selphie lightly smacked her shoulder.

The joint continued making its rounds until Sora dropped the roach while trying to pass to Tidus. "Shit, sorry," he said, laughing at his blunder.

"It's cool, man. It was done for anyway." They sat around enjoying the sound of ocean and their buzz, Wakka and his girls slipping away unnoticed at some point, the others who'd joined mid-rotation leaving when it became apparant that was the last of it. Sora and Riku slipped away a little later and Tidus found himself alone with Kairi and Selphie, "So, how about it, ladies? Who wants a piece of me?"

The girls stood up, giggling and walked away. "Niiiiight, Tidus~" they sing-songed. Tidus sighed and flopped over on his back to watch the stars. He'd been kidding anyway. Mostly.

* * *

Mondays inevitably sucked. It was a fact of life, and one Riku wished he could forget. He stood at the Wal-Mart entrance, greeting the customers as they walked in. It was easy enough to smile, but he was only half through his shift and his jaw already ached from the fake smiles. The cheerful greetings were sounding more forced by the minute and if one more kid kicked him in the leg as they walked past he was going to kick them in return.

He really shouldn't have put down "any" for the position he was interested in. But when you're desperate for a job, you take what you can get. Why he never had the luck to get a position with minimal customer interaction was something he was still trying to figure out. Maybe it was a karma thing and he was paying off the debts of his previous life as well as his own.

It didn't come as a surprise that when a rambunctious elementary schooler walked past and punched him in the stomach and he yelled at the kid's mom to learn to control her child, his manager walked over asking for him to punch out and hand over his badge and vest. He grumbled something about not having wanted the job in the first place as he handed everything over to his manager.

Tomorrow, he'd call the temp agency and see if they had anything for him. Maybe he'd luck out and get a job that could see him through until their trip.

* * *

Sora lay sprawled out on the couch, legs draped over Kairi's and his head resting in Riku's lap. Tidus, Wakka and Selphie were spread out on the floor in front of the big screen tv in Sora's parents living room, pillows propping them up into comfortable positions.

"What're we watching tonight?" he asked, prodding Kairi in the leg with his foot.

"You'll see," she shared a smirk with Selphie, tipping off the boys that it was probably some chick flick they'd have to pretend to hate in order to preserve their masculinity. The girls were generally good about not picking anything too boring or sappy. Wednesdays were the crew's traditional movie night, and had been since the summer before their freshman year of high school. During the school year, it happened before dinner, and ostensibly before they even started their homework. But during the summers and ever since they graduated high school it had been at 9pm every Wednesday. They rotated who picked the movie each week. Having it at Sora's parents' house had been the tradition for the past eight years - as long as the event itself had been taking place.

Because his parents thought it was silly for him to move out while Paopu was still trying to get signed, Sora still lived with his parents, paying rent and helping out around the house. He was pretty sure the _real_ reason had more to do with his mom not wanting to lose the Wednesday night tradition. She treated them all like family, even going so far as to demand they call her mom and giving them an open invitation to dinner any night of the week. It took a while for Tidus and Wakka to stop calling her by her name, but the others seemed to catch on quickly.

"Oh come on, Kairiiiii," Sora whined, dragging out her name. "Just tell us."

"Stop being so impatient," Selphie scolded, laughing after.

A half hour into the movie - an old chick flick about surfer girls - Sora's mom poked her head into the room, holding a tray with mugs of hot cocoa and a plate piled high with brownies. "I thought you kids might be hungry."

"Thanks, Mom," everyone said in unison as she set the tray down on the coffee table next to Selphie. She quietly slipped out of the room and everyone lunged for the snacks.

"She made the good hot chocolate, man," Tidus said after sipping the peppermint schnapps laced beverage.

"I'm still waiting for the day she laces the brownies with something," Wakka said, dodging the pillow Sora threw at his head.

"Sorry, Wakka, but you missed it. She made them once," Riku said with a smirk.

"Really?"

"No, dumbass." Everyone laughed and Wakka flipped Riku the bird. "That's what I've got Sora for." He winked and Sora hid his face behind his mug as he took a drink, lightly jabbing Riku's leg with his foot.

Tidus pretended to gag. "Dude, spare me the deets on your sex life. I'd rather watch Anne Marie's in this movie."

That settled everyone down, the rest of the movie playing out with no further conversation, Sora cuddling up to Riku once they finished their cocoa. When the movie was over they sat around chatting, the conversation touching on how they eventually needed to take a trip to Hawaii and hit the waves there. A little past midnight everyone aside from Riku headed home, thanking 'Mom' for the delicious snacks on their way out.

"You staying the night?" Sora asked, tilting his head to look at Riku.

"That was the plan."

"Good." Sora shifted, Riku's arm still resting on his hip, and kissed him only to be interrupted by Sora's mom clearing her throat.

"You two are adorable, but would you mind taking it upstairs? It's getting late."

"Sure thing." Riku nudged Sora to get up first, both of them giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, saying "Good night," as they exited the room and headed upstairs.

* * *

The temperature was barely above sixty when Sora, Riku and Kairi hit the pier at Huntington Beach Thursday morning for dawn patrol, wetsuits on and surfboards tucked under their arms. The swell was the best there'd been all week, and it was likely their last chance to catch waves as good as this before they left for Chicago on Saturday. Wakka and Tidus had tests to take and couldn't make it and Selphie hadn't answered her phone when Kairi had called to tell her about the conditions.

Hardly anyone else was at the beach, a rarity even in the winter months. The three friends grinned at each other before racing off into the water, nearly unphased by the cool temperature of the water. They paddled out to join the lineup, a few locals they'd seen countless times. Greetings were exchanged and one of the guys filled them in on what they'd missed and what to expect.

Riku was the best surfer out of the three - only Wakka was better than him in their crew - but neither were good enough to even be considered by sponsors, though it never stopped them from entering contests when they could. Sora, Kairi and Tidus were all decent and could keep up with Riku and Wakka on their best days. Kairi usually hung back with Selphie when she was around, hitting the easier waves. Selphie hadn't got into surfing until they were teens and she wanted to use it to impress the boys.

They took turns catching waves as the sun continued to rise, the sky changing from soft pinks and yellows into clear blues. Riku managed to only wipeout twice, while Sora and Kairi didn't bother to count, just having fun trying to catch the waves. Sora managed to catch an exceptional wave mid-session, his fingers skimming along the face as the swell curled overhead. He'd almost managed to make it out before it crashed down on him, pushing him deep into the water. His hand hit the sandy bottom and he used the force from it to push himself back to the surface. When he came up he was all smiles as he paddled back to Riku and Kairi.

Their fingers were pruned by time they left the line and went back to shore, conversing animatedly about the waves they caught and the ones they didn't, how they'd catch even better ones the next time, and how it was too bad the others hadn't been able to join them.

* * *

Riku was pleased that he'd managed to hold down a job through the rest of the week. It was physical labor - mindless grunt work - but it paid well and didn't involve customer service. He was disappointed that he'd finally got a job he'd be able to hold down but couldn't keep because he was leaving tomorrow morning. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to get this one again when they came back.

* * *

That night Riku, Kairi, Selphie and Sora sat in Sora's living room, going over travel plans and eating pizza.

"So from O'Hare we're going to catch the train into the city?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah, and then we're checking in at the hotel," Sora said.

"Which one?"

"Uuuuh..., Riku, you've got that info, right?"

"It's just called 'Hotel'. It's on Lincoln Ave."

"No it's not. Gimme that," Selphie said, yanking the paper out of Riku's hand. "Huh, he's right. It really is just called 'Hotel'."

"Weird," Kairi said.

"I thought that, too. But when I called the receptionist said that the email hadn't been wrong." Riku ran a hand through his hair and leaned back against the couch.

"Doesn't that make it hard for people to make reservations there?" Selphie handed the printout back to Riku.

"Nah, it's a pretty exclusive place. If we weren't going for the competition, there'd be no way we'd be able to stay there. The buzz on the net is that it's the place where every 'Somebody' gets to be a 'Nobody'. They can just kick back and not have to deal with fans trying to sneak into their rooms, and there's no crowd when they head out to their cars. Top notch security to give celebrities peace of mind when they're in the Windy City."

"I can't wait, it's going to be so cool," Sora said, grinning.

* * *

Early Saturday morning Kairi, Riku, Selphie and Sora lumbered out to Sora's parents' mini-van, their equipment and luggage already loaded and Sora's dad behind the wheel. They piled into the backseats, barely coherent as they buckled up. "What am I? Your chauffeur?" he asked, turning the keys in the ignition.

"Yeah, Dad, you are," Sora replied with a yawn and leaned his head on Riku's shoulder.

"Got your tickets?"

"We're picking them up there."

"Got your passports?"

"Were not leaving the country," Sora sighed.

"I know, I was checking to make sure you were actually awake."

Sora stuck his tongue out at him and Riku chuckled. "Well, it worked. I'm awake." He looked behind him at Kairi and Selphie who'd managed to fall back asleep before they even pulled out of the driveway. "This isn't fair," he mumbled. Riku wrapped his arm around him holding him close the whole drive to the airport.

Twenty minutes later found them at the Santa Ana/John Wayne Airport entrance for Southwest Airlines loading their luggage onto a cart. They walked up to the airline's ticket counter, Sora giving his driver's license so they could pull up his account.

"What needs to be checked?"

"Whatever of this we're not allowed to carry on."

The customer service agent looked at the cart of luggage. "Are those musical instruments?"

"And sound equipment and merch."

"It's going to cost extra to check all of that."

"Kind of figured it would." Sora leaned against the counter as Riku began unloading the luggage from the cart. Their clothing was packed into dufflebags that were small enough to carry on. Luggage tags were printed out and the four of them split the work in getting everything tagged, placing it all onto the conveyor.

"Credit card that the reservations were made under?" Sora pulled out a credit card from his wallet and handed it over. A few moments later their tickets were placed on the counter and the agent pointed to the right. "Security is that way and to the left. Your flight leaves in an hour and a half. Enjoy your flight." His credit card shoved back into his wallet and ID in hand, he passed out their tickets before grabbing his carry-on bag and walking in the direction of security.

"Come on guys, hurry up!"

"What's the rush? She said we've got an hour and a half," Selphie said with a yawn.

"I'm hungry and I know there's restaurants once we get past security."

"Food sounds good," Riku agreed.

"Boys," Kairi and Selphie said together, shaking their heads and rolling their eyes. "Then carry our bags."

"We can't until after we get through security." Sora hoped they'd forget by that point. A few minutes later and they were at the front of the line to go through security, the guards checking their IDs against their tickets and ushering them through to the checkpoint. Shoes were taken off and pockets emptied, or mostly emptied in Sora's case, into the bins and bags placed behind them on the conveyor. Sora was the first through the metal detector, Kairi and Selphie coming out a moment later.

"Where's Riku?" Kairi asked, turning around to look at the checkpoints.

"There he is," Selphie said, pointing to Riku who was being patted down by security personnel.

"Ugh, he needs to hurry up," Sora said, his stomach growling. None of them were worried, it was nothing out of the ordinary to see people thoroughly checked at random, their bags opened and leafed through. That and they knew Riku didn't have anything illegal on him.

A few minutes later Riku joined them. "You're so lucky that wasn't you, Sora," he whispered, taking his hand and leading them down the hall.

"I know," he whispered back. "They must have decided you looked more like a terrorist than the rest of us."

Riku playfully shoved him, all the while shaking his head and laughing.

Half an hour later they were seated in the McDonald's across from their gate, crammed into a booth along with their luggage, digging into their greasy breakfast.

"So, what were those whispers about back there?" Kairi asked.

"Nothing," Sora said, looking anywhere but at Kairi.

"He's holding," Riku said.

"_Sora_!" Kairi looked at him in shock. Keeping her voice down she added, "What are you thinking? What if they'd picked you instead of Riku to check?"

Sora had the decency to look ashamed. "I won't bring any back with us."

"Damn right you won't. You are so lucky." Selphie nodded in agreement with Kairi. "And you better share."

"Duh. It's for the victory party." Sora grinned and went back to eating. They sat around talking and enjoying free drink refills until the announcement came that business class and first class would be boarding their flight soon.

"We should head over now," Selphie said, pulling out a mirror from her purse and running her fingers through her hair to make sure it looked nice despite knowing it would wind up messed up again by time they landed.

Fifteen minutes later they were in their seats, Kairi and Sora with the window seats, Selphie and Riku taking the aisle seats. Sora leaned past Riku to look at the girls across the aisle, giving them a big grin and a thumbs up.


	3. Took a Wrong Turn Wound Up in Michigan

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters. They belong to Tetsuya Nomura, Square Enix and some to Disney

**Author's Note:** Thanks to Maxie, my superb beta who catches all my stupid typos and more. Set sometime between the present and not too distant future, mostly in Chicago, lying somewhere between reality and pure fantasy. Rated M for sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Took a Wrong Turn Wound Up in Michigan**

* * *

"This is ridiculous, Hayner," Roxas said, falling back onto his bed with an exasperated sigh. He played with the edge of one of the many posters plastering the walls of his room - mostly rock bands and various concert flyers - this one in particular being David Bowie's Aladdin Sane album cover.

Hayner was silent on the other end of the phone.

"How long has it been since you last talked to him? Two and a half, three years?"

"Three and a half," Hayner said quietly.

"Close enough. You know we're going to be in Chicago for a week soon. You're going to have to talk to him then."

"No I won't."

"Yes, you will. I'm not leaving one of you out when getting the old gang together for dinner."

"I'm fine missing out on it."

"Well I'm not," Roxas said, making a grumpy noise.

"Roxas..."

"Hayner I don't know what happened between the two of you, neither of you has ever said. At this point, I don't care what it was because it's probably something stupid that you both should get over already. What I _do_ care about is having everyone together again for at least a couple hours while we're there. Fuu and Rai are coming, too. You have to be there," Roxas pleaded.

"Fine, but I'm not sitting next to Seifer."

"Great." Roxas's smile could almost be heard through the phone. "But you are going to talk to him. No ignoring each other, okay?"

"Okay! I get it. I get it. I'll be civil with him." He threw one arm up in the air in defeat, garnering looks from some passing students as he stood in front of his and Pence's mailbox.

"Thank you. How are Pence and Olette doing? We never seem to be able to catch each other."

"Disgustingly sappy and ridiculously busy is how they're doing. Pence is busy with the newspaper and Olette is always busy with her residents. I don't know what possessed her to become an R.A. in her last year."

"And you?"

"Single and flipping burgers in the dining hall twice a week. I want to kill my professors. They seem to be under the impression that we're superhuman and have no lives outside of classes and studying."

"Since when do you study?"

"Only when I absolutely have to." Hayner laughed, sorting through the mail he'd just pulled out. "How about you? And Xion? Her and Fuu still together?"

"You sure you don't have the hots for her? You always ask about them. I promise I won't kill you if you do."

"And I promise I don't. I just think it's hot." A grin crossed his face as he spotted a black plastic wrapped magazine addressed to him. He was looking forward to "reading" it later.

"That's my sister you perv!"

"I know."

"_Anyway_... I'm good. Xion's good and yes, they are still together. Work's been crazy lately. Barely have any time to go to the skate park these days. I'm worried I'm going to forget how to ollie." Roxas laughed.

"Like you that would happen. You could ollie in your sleep. You still working at the Garden Bowl?"

"Yeah, they started a new league so we're busier than ever. I go home smelling like dirty socks every night."

"How's that any different than when you go into work?"

"Ha ha, asshole. Seifer pulled a favor with his boss at the Magic Stick and we've got a gig there next week. The Metro Times is touting Twilight Blaze as the next The White Stripes just because we're a two piece band from Detroit, it's annoying. I like their music and all, but it's more bluesy sounding than ours."

"I know, Roxas. I was kind of there for the start of the band. You guys still haven't replaced me?"

"How could we? The best bassist in the world could ask to join and we'd say no because it isn't you."

"You flatter me too much."

"It's not flattery. We're just hoping you'll change your mind and come back."

"Seifer still your manager?"

"Yeah."

"Then you can forget about me coming back." Hayner paused a moment before adding, "Hold on."

Hayner covered the mouthpiece of the phone as he looked over his shoulder, the mail precariously balanced on his arm.

"We're getting dinner, you coming?" Pence asked.

"Yeah, sure. I'll meet you there in a minute." Olette nodded and dragged Pence in the direction of the dining hall.

Roxas pulled off one of his socks while he waited for Hayner to get back, holding it several inches away from his face while sniffing it for cleanliness. Deciding it was too dirty for another day's wear, he tossed it in the general direction of his dirty clothes pile, the other sock joining it shortly after.

"Sorry about that. I've gotta go. That was Pence and Olette, we're gonna go eat. Catch ya later?"

"Yeah, sure. Tell them I said hi and to give me a call. I'm tired of talking to them through you."

"Will do. Bye."

"Bye." Roxas hung up and reached for the remote. He turned on the tv and proceeded to channel surf, hoping that something good might be on.

* * *

"Why didn't you say that was Roxas on the phone?" Olette asked as the trio set their trays of food down on a dining hall table before sitting down. "I would've liked to talk to him."

"Me, too," Pence added as he pulled his silverware out from under one of the plates. "I never seem to catch him on the phone."

"Me either."

"He can't ever reach the two of you. Sorry I didn't say anything," Hayner said, clearly agitated. "I'll be sure to say who I'm on the phone with next time you're nagging me to get off of it."

"Calm down, Hayner. We weren't nagging," Olette said. "Did he say when they're going to be here for the competition? Does he know where they're staying? Xion and Fuu could room with me if needed. And Roxas, Rai and Seifer can room with you and Pence."

"They're staying at the Hotel. The entry fee for the competition was to cover the cost of their suite for the week. And even if they didn't Seifer is _not_ staying in our room."

"I've asked before but you never answered, what happened between the two of you? You used to be so close and now..." Olette trailed off. She frowned as she stabbed her fork into a cherry tomato.

"I don't want to talk about it." He lifted a piece of pizza to his mouth as though to signal the conversation was over. Not that he expected she'd actually drop it that easily.

"Hayner." She sighed.

"It's between me and him."

"Do you know how hard it is to get a room at the Hotel?" Pence asked, trying to change the subject before Olette could nag him about it any more.

"No? I never had any reason to try getting one there."

"You have to be in the entertainment industry. Actors, musicians, pro-sports players, directors... you get the point. You have to be _somebody_ in the biz. Or know somebody who can pull a few strings."

"Okay..."

"Roxas and them are going to be staying there."

"So?"

"This is a chance of a lifetime. We've got an in to check it out and guess who's going to be in town that weekend."

"Who?"

"The Pistons. They'll probably be staying there. I might be able to get an interview with someone from the team for the school paper." Pence grinned widely.

"Cool."

"It's more than cool."

Olette laughed at Pence's enthusiasm. "I'm just happy we'll get to see everyone again. Winter break was crazy. I didn't get to see anyone other than Xion between visiting my relatives and Pence's relatives and everyone's work schedules."

"I didn't get to see anyone at all, my parents kept me busy the entire time."

"Me either. Oh yeah. Roxas said that he wants everyone to go get dinner together."

"Where?"

"He didn't say. I guess we should pick someplace? It's not like he knows all the restaurants here."

"We should go somewhere nice."

"I don't want to go anywhere fancy." Hayner picked a pepperoni off his pizza, a string of cheese following it. "I'm not dressing up for dinner."

"How about The Cheesecake Factory? It's a nice but casual place," Pence suggested.

"Oh man, I haven't been there since freshman year when my parents took me."

"Pence and I have been there a few times, but I don't know if we should go there... I don't think they'll be happy if we're there a few hours."

"So we just don't stay that long. It's not like they're only going to be here one night."

"I guess you're right."

"It'll be fun. I don't think any of them have been there before." Hayner was thrilled by the idea of a dinner that would likely be cut short by the busyness of the restaurant. The less time spent around Seifer the better.

* * *

"Roxas?" Xion called out for the fifth time.

"I'm in my room," he said, yawning mid-sentence.

"We're out of milk and bread. I'm going to Meijer's need or want anything?"

"Eh... I'll just come, too."

A few minutes later Roxas emerged from his room, bleary-eyed and clothes bed rumpled, hopping as he pulled on a sock.

"Did I wake you?"

"Sort of. Drifted off while watching tv."

"Must not have been anything good." Xion laughed.

"Just some crap on Mtv." He paused and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "What time is it anyway?"

"Quarter to midnight."

"Shit. Guess I more than drifted off. Looks like I won't be sleeping tonight."

"We still need lyrics for that song we improvised yesterday. Maybe you could work on that?"

Roxas nodded as he slipped his feet into a pair of black and white checkered Vans. "Maybe we can use it at the competition."

"We should try it out at The Magic Stick. Don't want it to bomb when it really matters."

"Point." Roxas reached into the hall closet, pulling out his winter coat. "Wonder if we're going to get another good snow this year. We haven't gone snowboarding all season."

"We could if you would settle for Alpine Valley," Xion said as they headed out to their beat up blue station wagon.

"I'm not boarding on fake snow."

"There's always the U.P. I hear Marquette's gotten 100 inches already this winter."

"Good for them. You paying for the hotel and gas?" Roxas asked grumpily.

"Fake snow really isn't that bad, Roxas..."

"If we don't have a decent snow by the end of February, we'll go." He sighed as he buckled himself into the driver's seat.

"Awesome. You work tomorrow afternoon, right?"

"Yeah, why?" The car started with ease, the radio blasting the sounds of 89x, the local alternative rock station. Roxas turned down the volume so Xion wouldn't have to shout to be heard.

"I was thinking I'd take it in for an oil change. We need one before we go to Chicago. We're already past due for one."

"You know Rai will do it cheap for us. Why not just wait and get him to do it this weekend?" he asked as they pulled onto the expressway.

"He doesn't want to freeze his ass off doing it in his driveway. He's working tomorrow and said he'd hook us up with the works for the cost of the basic."

"Can't you take it in the morning? I want to hit up the skate park after work because I haven't been all month. My membership is going to waste and Seifer works 'til midnight so I can't catch a ride with him."

"Why didn't you go today? You've had the car all evening. I know you got off early today, too."

Roxas frowned. "I didn't think about it until I was on the phone with Hayner, and then I didn't feel like going anywhere."

Xion rolled her eyes. "You have no one to blame but yourself. I'll ask Rai if he can do it in the morning."

"Thanks." He turned the volume up and they listened to the radio, singing along with the good songs, until they pulled into the Meijer's parking lot.

* * *

"You know, Hayner, I don't get why you won't tell anyone." Pence stared up at the bunk above him. "It's not like anyone is going to like you any less and if they do, they're hypocrites."

"It's none of their business. That's why." Hayner shifted in his bed and faced the wall, pulling his blankets tight around him.

"If you keep hanging onto it you're never going to get over it."

"Go to sleep," Hayner grumbled.

"Olette asked me after dinner if I knew what happened. She'd going to be pissed if she finds out I've known all along."

"You promised to take it to the grave." Hayner shifted and leaned over the edge of his bed, gripping the side rail as he looked down at Pence. "And that's what you're going to do, right?"

"Hayner."

"You're starting to sound like her."

"That's not a bad thing."

"Whatever. Nothing's going to change my mind, okay?"

"You should talk with him while he's here. Maybe you can try being friends again?" Pence said, sounding hopeful.

"Not a chance in hell."

* * *

The livingroom in Roxas and Xion's ground floor apartment wasn't very big - at least the usable parts of it weren't. Their equipment took up a large chunk of the space, even when it was packed up before or after a gig. There was an L-shaped couch against the wall and a big screen tv opposite it, several game consoles stuffed into the stand beneath it. Equipment for Guitar Hero and Rock Band sat next to the tv, carefully placed on stands as though it were their real gear.

"What time is Rai supposed to get here?" Roxas asked, sitting in the center corner of the couch, arms draped over the back on both sides. Seifer was seated next to him and Xion and Fuu were seated to the other side of him, Fuu leaning against Xion who had an arm draped across her waist. "I'm getting hungry."

"An hour," Fuu said.

"Want to play Rock Band while we wait?" Seifer asked as he got up and started setting up the equipment.

"Why bother asking if you're not going to wait for an answer?"

"Because I already know what the answer is going to be. I'm playing the bass part."

"I'll take drums," Xion said.

"Which do you want, Fuu? Guitar or vocals?"

"Guitar."

"Why bother asking when you always do vocals?" Seifer teased. "You know you've got the best voice out of all of us, Mr. Lead Singer."

"Shut up." Roxas grabbed the mic from its stand as Seifer turned on the tv and got the game set up. Xion situated the game's drum kit in front of her as she sat down, Fuu perched on the arm of the couch with the guitar controller draped across her.

"I know the first game is old as hell, but it's got some of the best songs." After selecting quickplay cooperative mode, Seifer picked _In Bloom_ by Nirvana for their first song.

"We haven't covered this song at a gig in ages. We should do it when we play The Magic Stick," Xion said. "It always gets a good reaction."

"Maybe, we've got the new song to perform, too" Roxas said as the song started.

"Oh yeah."

They took turns picking songs until Rai showed up, taking over guitar for a couple more songs. Which turned into another hour long set of songs. Everyone swapping parts except for Roxas. No one else wanted to sing in his place.

"Okay guys," Roxas said. "I've been singing for the last two hours and I'm starving. Let's get out of here and get some food already."

* * *

An hour later and they were seated in a corner booth at a packed Denny's, poring over the menus despite knowing what they wanted - but there was always the chance something new had been added since the last time they came that would sound better.

Allie, their waitress, knew them and brought out their drinks without needing to ask. Coffee - black for Seifer, and with a bowl of creamer packets for Roxas - Diet Coke for the girls, and a Mellow Yellow for Rai. They all ordered breakfast foods despite it being nearly midnight. What was the point of going to Denny's if you _weren't_ going to order breakfast? It was like going to IHOP and not getting pancakes, doable but a silly choice. There were better places to get burgers from at any time of the night.

"I've been thinking, y'know," Rai said.

"Really?" Seifer asked, laughing.

"Shut it," said Fuu, giving Seifer a stern look.

"What about?" Xion asked, stirring her straw around her glass. Roxas mixed one and a half creamers and three packets of sugar into his coffee and Seifer teased him about drinking coffee like a girl.

"About the trip to Chicago, y'know. It'll be good seeing everyone again. We haven't all been in the same room together in years, y'know. Not since... well, y'know."

"Yeah, we know," Roxas said. "I told Hayner that I wasn't going to let him get out of hanging out with everyone. The same goes to you, Seifer. None of this avoiding Hayner while we're there."

"I know," Seifer replied. "I'm not the one avoiding him."

"Well, you're not making any effort to reach out to him and mend whatever rift you guys had."

"He's the one who got pissed off at me. If he doesn't want to fix things I'm not going to force him to."

"Maybe he's waiting for you to reach out," Xion said.

"Maybe."

"Idiots."

"Shut up, Fuu."

"You are."

"Promise you'll be civil to him? No baiting him or anything," Roxas said. "I want it to be like old times. Or at least as close to that as we can get."

"I've always baited him. I'll try not to, but I'm not making any promises."

"Moron."

"Shut up."

"Asshole."

"I know."

"Dickhead."

"How are Pence and Olette doing?" Xion asked, trying to steer the conversation away from Fuu calling Seifer names.

"They're good, but busy. I think they're getting to Hayner though. He seemed bitter about being single while his two closest friends are dating."

"Really?"

"Yes, Seifer, really. He also mentioned wanting to kill his professors though, so he's probably just being melodramatic."

"He could go to prison for that, y'know."

Roxas bit back the desire to inform Rai that it was a figure of speech, because pointing it out would make him look like an asshole, and Seifer already had that base well covered. Fortunately - or rather unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it - loud girlish squeals filled the restaurant, catching everyone's attention.

"Fucking, Setzer," Seifer grumbled, as the flamboyant man entered the restaurant flanked on either side by a couple of slutty fangirls. "He better not come over here."

"Don't jinx us," Roxas hissed.

Sure enough, Setzer spotted them and walked over, girls in tow. "Well, well, look who we have here, if it isn't rucksack and his crew of losers."

"Heard you had a show tonight. I bet it sucked ass," Roxas retorted.

"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"

"Kettle," Fuu muttered.

Setzer ignored Fuu's comment and wrapped his arms around the two girls closest to him, "Talk to me again when you man up and have girls flinging themselves at you."

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Whatever, go away, you're making me lose my appetite."

With a sneer in their direction, he turned away from the table, the girls following him.

"They're like hungry puppies," Roxas said.

"Kibbles and bits," Seifer muttered and the entire table burst into laughter.

"That man is so annoying," Allie said as she approached the table with their food. "Only reason management puts up with him is because he always brings a lot of business with him."

"We know."

"I don't see the appeal. He looks like an over-primped peacock."

"Not quite how I'd describe him."

"If those girls knew what he was packing, they wouldn't be flinging themselves at him," Seifer said.

"Oh?" Allie asked. "And what's that?"

"Nothing." Everyone laughed as Fuu held her hand up, her thumb and index finger about a quarter inch apart and she squinted, looking between them.

"How do you know?"

"Through a reliable source." Seifer smirked. "I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

"Who'll give you your drinks on the house then?"

"He goes to the same gym as Seifer, y'know. That's how we know."

"You looked?"

"Not on purpose."

"Suuuure, sweetheart. Eat up," Allie said with a wink before turning to the next table to check on them.

"What do those harpies see in him? He's such a raging douchebag and he can't even sing. His band sucks, too." Roxas scowled as he watched the girls fawn over Setzer. "Their name sucks, too. The Struggle? What the hell?"

"The struggle with his erectile dysfunction," Seifer said with a laugh.

"Good one."

"Impressive, Fuu. I thought it would take more than that to get a compliment from you."

"Fuck off."

"See? There you go, you spoiled it now. That moment is gone forever."

The chatter died down to the occasional comment as they dug into their food, trying to ignore all the commotion going on at Setzer's booth across the room from them. Allie came by a few more times to refill drinks and see if anyone wanted dessert before bringing them their check.

* * *

"We're approaching Climax," Seifer said, snickering.

As they drove past the I-94 exit, Roxas asked, "Was it good for you? It was good for me."

"The best." They laughed, everyone else joining in.

"Oh would you two grow up," Xion said.

"You were laughing, too," Roxas said.

"So what? I wasn't the one laughing at the Big Beaver Road exit as we passed it."

"Oh come on. That exit is just asking for it. I mean, it's exit 69. You _know_ that can't be unintentional."

"You act like we haven't been past that sign hundreds of times."

"And it's funny every time."

"Go to hell, Roxas."

"Been there."

"Augh. Just. Shut up and drive." She leaned forward and hit the back of his head, crossing her arms as she fell back into place. "We're halfway to Chicago already. Can we get there without another immature joke?"

"I'll try."

"Dare you," Fuu piped in.

"If I don't?"

"Duct tape."

"Fine." Roxas sighed and turned up the radio, only to find that 89x had turned into a country station somewhere along the way. "Rai, can you pass me my iPod? It's in my coat pocket."

Rai reached down to the floor between him and Xion and lifted Roxas' coat. "Which pocket? It has five y'know," he said.

"Uh, the inside one. It's on the left. Should be zipped."

"Here." Rai handed him the iPod a moment later and Roxas passed it to Seifer.

"Find something good on there to listen to," he said as he handed him the connector cord that would allow them to listen to it on the car stereo.

"Oooh, what's this?" he asked as he looked through the playlists. "Roxas has a spank mix?"

"No I don't."

"Then what's this 'needs tissues' playlist?"

"_Not_ a spank mix."

Seifer smirked as he pushed the play button. "We'll just see about that," he said as the song started playing. It started out well enough, but by the third verse it had degenerated into something dreary.

_And if a double-decker bus  
Crashes into us  
To die by your side__  
Is such a heavenly way to die  
And if a ten ton truck  
Kills the both of us  
To die by your side  
Well the pleasure, the privilege is mine_

"What the hell is this? It's depressing."

"The Smiths. Pick something else. I don't want to listen to a song with lyrics about dying in a car crash while I'm fucking driving."

"So, this is what? Your emo mix?"

"Shut up and change the song already."

"I'm looking for something good." A minute passed before Seifer finally settled on a choice. "Can't go wrong with this," he said as the sounds of The Beatles _You Really Got a Hold on Me_ filled the car, the rest of the drive turning into one big Beatles sing-a-long.


	4. Used to be Love Drunk Now I'm Hungover

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters. They belong to Tetsuya Nomura, Square Enix and some to Disney

**Author's Note:** Thanks to Maxie, my superb beta who catches all my stupid typos and more. Set sometime between the present and not too distant future, mostly in Chicago, lying somewhere between reality and pure fantasy. Rated M for sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Used to be Love Drunk Now I'm Hungover**

* * *

"You should quit. Between the smoking and those darkroom chemicals, you're going to die of cancer by time you're thirty," Axel said, taking the cigarette from Zexion, hypocritically taking a long drag from it, blowing smoke rings as he exhaled. He took another drag while Zexion responded before passing it back.

"You're going to as well. Just because you only smoke occasionally doesn't make you exempt from the harm it causes. Hanging out with me and getting second hand smoke is just as bad, too." Zexion took a couple drags, nearly finishing the cigarette before passing it to Axel.

"And yet you continue to smoke." He took another drag from the cigarette before stubbing it out in the car's ashtray.

"I live with Vexen. You'd want a slow death, too."

"I don't think he likes me much."

"He doesn't like anyone. Don't take it personally." Zexion pulled out another cigarette and lit it up.

"Chaining today?"

"I just lost a commission. It would have paid the next two months of rent."

"So you're drowning yourself in nicotine? Fuck that. We're going to Delilah's tonight and you're going to drown your sorrows properly. My treat."

"Don't you mean Saïx's treat? I thought you wouldn't have any spare money with only working one day a week."

"I donated plasma twice last week. Did you know you could get paid for that? Made a fat $70 to sit around for a few hours a couple times and spending a bit of that time hooked up to a machine with a needle in my arm, listening to my iPod. Can't get much better than that."

"Smart, but you could always pick up more shifts at Standee's."

Axel grinned and stole Zexion's cigarette again. "Yeah, well, that's actual work. I figured I should start looking for some easy source of income. I'm thinking about breaking up with him."

"Again?"

"For real this time." Axel sighed and handed the cigarette back to Zexion.

"Fighting again?"

"Not really. I don't know. I'm bored and the sex has gone downhill. Not in quality, just in quantity. It's like we're fucking married and he's the wife. 'Not tonight, I have a headache.' 'Not tonight, you've been drinking.' 'Not tonight, I'm working on my thesis.' Well, he's never pulled the headache card, _yet_, but he's pulled all the others."

"Have you, I don't know, tried talking to him?" Zexion rolled his eyes.

"All we ever talk about lately is the band and that fucking bastard Xemnas and how to get out of that god awful contract I convinced them it was a good idea to sign. I want to kill myself."

"No you don't."

"Metaphorically."

"Right," he said sceptically.

"I should go. I've got to get this paperwork to Leon by ten."

"I'll drive you."

"It's only a few blocks."

"And it's five till."

"Oh."

* * *

Axel had been waiting for fifteen minutes already, frequently glancing over at the receptionist for the Heartless Records office, found on the 20th floor of the hotel, right next to the offices for Destiny Records and Radiant Records. The company's President and CEO, Sephiroth, owned the hotel and was rumored to have a penthouse apartment taking up the entirety of the 21st floor. No elevator in the building went up that high, so it was only a rumor that the floor even existed.

He wondered how long he'd have to wait if he wanted to talk to Sephiroth rather than Leon. Axel assumed it would be hours for a five minute meeting. Why he had to wait for Leon when all he needed to do was hand over the paperwork, he wasn't sure. He tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair, staring down the clock, daring the second hand to make another rotation when the receptionist called his name saying Leon was free now. She pointed him down the hall towards his office. He passed a spikey haired blond carrying a handful of manila envelopes on his way. They nodded at each other and went their separate ways.

At the door Axel knocked twice before a voice from inside said, "Come in." He opened the doors and walked in, noting the sparse decor of the room as he approached the desk, the door clicking shut behind him.

"So, I've got the paperwork for you," Axel grinned and placed the manila envelope on the desk before taking a seat in a leather armchair, quite possibly the only thing in the office with any personality, excepting himself, of course.

"We're releasing the lineup for the first round of the competition this afternoon. Xemnas will no doubt see that Eight-Finger Dichotomy is on that lineup. You understand the implications of this?"

"Yeah, it means I'm going to have to make up some bullshit about it being a way to promote the band and earn a few extra bucks."

"And should you win?"

"Like you said the other day, we'll deal with that when the time comes." Axel laughed and relaxed in the seat.

"We'll talk again before the finals if your band makes it that far."

"That all?"

"Yes."

"Catch ya later then." Axel got up and left the office, slightly annoyed that he'd had to wait so long for such a short meeting, and even more curious as to _who_ the blond was that he'd passed on the way in.

* * *

"Vexen, Instead of walking home, can I get your help in getting these two to their place?" Zexion asked, motioning to Axel and Saïx making out against the wall behind his running car.

"Why can't you?"

"I've been drinking. The car's already warmed up. I'd walk them the few blocks to the Hotel, but I think Demyx and Naminé would castrate me if they got kicked out of their hotel room so these two can finish what they've started."

"It's not like you use them."

"That's not the point."

Vexen sighed. "You owe me."

"Whatever. Just help me pry them apart long enough to get them in the car."

"Wouldn't it be easier to shove them in as they are?"

"Hmm. Good idea." Zexion guided Axel and Saïx away from the wall, hands all over each other, sharing brief kisses as they staggered toward the car. They toppled into the backseat of the black four door sedan thanks to Vexen having opened the door for them, barely getting their legs all the way in before Zexion shut it behind them.

"I thought they were going to break up," Vexen said, trying to ignore them as he checked the rearview mirror, pulling out of the parking space."

"That's the way it sounded when I talked to Axel this morning," Zexion said, tuning to Q101 on the radio to drown out the sounds coming from the back seat. "If you guys stain the upholstery you're paying to get it cleaned." He turned the volume up a little louder.

"Hm. Wonder what happened."

"I don't care. I'm just glad that Axel isn't going to be crashing on our couch for the next however long."

"He's not mooching off us again. Ever."

Zexion sighed and reached into his coat pocket, withdrawing a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Pulling one out of the pack, he placed it between his lips.

"Crack the window if you're going to smoke."

"It's my car."

"And it's my lungs. You might not care about getting lung cancer, but I do."

"Yeah yeah. Hurry up and find a cure before I die."

"It's not going to happen if I die of second hand smoke first."

"You and Axel need to lay off the lectures. I'm well aware of the havoc I am wreaking on my lungs," Zexion said, rolling down the window and letting in the cold January air before lighting his cigarette.

"Axel's a hypocrite. He still bumming cigarettes off of you?"

"Sometimes."

"You're an enabler."

"He's an adult and can make his own decisions."

"Just because he's old enough to vote and legally drink doesn't make him an adult."

Zexion glanced behind him as he took a long drag from his cigarette. "Good thing he's too busy to notice we're talking about him."

"He needs to hear it eventually."

"How long have you known him? Do you really think he'll _actually_ listen?

"It's worth a shot."

"I think he's had enough shots for the night."

"I-"

"It was a joke," Zexion interrupted. "Where's your sense of humor?"

"I left it at home."

Zexion took another drag of his cigarette, focusing on the sounds of alternative rock on the radio, doing his best to ignore the wet and breathy sounds coming from the back seat. Another ten minutes passed before they pulled up to Saïx and Axel's apartment complex.

"Get out, assholes," he said, punching Axel lightly in the back. "I want to get some sleep."

"Sure you don't want to _come_ and watch?" Axel teased, smirking as he pulled Saïx out of the car.

"Positive. And I'm sure those cops parked across the street don't want to either. Make sure you get into your apartment before you start undressing each other."

"Yeah yeah. Love you, too," Axel drawled. He waved to Zexion and Vexen, and then as they pulled away, to the cops across the street before Saïx lead him toward the door and into their building.

As they stepped into the elevator, Axel pressed him against the wall, breath hot against his ear as he whispered, "You know, I've never had sex in an elevator before."

"And you're not going to, either," Saïx replied as two drunk girls stumbled in after them, laughing and using each other for support. He pushed the button for their floor and stared down the giggling girls.

"Hey, you want to watch us?" Axel asked, pressing even closer to Saïx, grinding against him. The girls laughed but didn't answer. "No? Too bad, you would have enjoyed it." He winked at the girls as they stepped off the elevator, Saïx dragging him down the hall to their studio apartment.

"You're ridiculous," Saïx said as he unlocked the door, stepping in and turning on the light.

"You love it." Axel followed him in and locked the door behind them, kicking off his boots that he'd never bothered to tie in the first place. They landed haphazardly next to Saïx's carefully removed shoes. "Now, where were we?"

"Here," Saïx said, pulling Axel in for another kiss, walking backward through the open apartment, the pathway to the bed free of any obstacles, taking off their coats along the way.

Axel wondered about that, they should have had to swing around the armchair, in the little space there was between it and the coffee table. He broke the kiss and looked around, finding that the furniture had been rearranged. "When?" he asked.

"Today after talking with Tom, my thesis advisor," Saïx said, pulling him in for another kiss. "I had a lot on my mind."

"I like it," Axel said, kissing him after. His hands dropped down to his waist, thumbs hooking under the hem of his shirt, fingers teasingly sliding their way up his sides as he pulled the shirt up and over his head. "But not as much as this." He tossed the garment aside and kissed Saïx who hummed a sound of appreciation against his mouth.

They continued the final few steps, slipping through the crack formed by the two privacy screens separating their bedroom from the rest of the apartment until the back of Axel's legs were pressed against the edge of the bed. Saïx took off Axel's shirt, pulling back as he pulled the garment over his head and dropping it to the floor before pushing him down onto the bed. One leg sliding between his legs, thigh pressing against Axel's groin, eliciting a moan from the man beneath him.

"I've been thinking about this all night," Saïx whispered in his ear. He lightly bit his earlobe, tonguing the soft flesh as he pulled back. His fingers traced the tattoos under Axel's eyes, upside down tear drops. "I remember when you got those," he said, smiling fondly.

"You were piss drunk at the time. Hell, I didn't even remember getting them," Axel laughed.

"But I remember waking up the next morning, my head splitting, and the first thing I saw were those tattoos. They looked awful and I thought you'd been in a fight because of the crusted blood surrounding them."

"Mmmm, sexy crusty blood," Axel said sarcastically.

Saïx shook his head, "Not even remotely close. I think I stared at them for an hour before I noticed the piercing in my ear."

"Larxene said I talked you into that when you refused to get a tattoo."

"Why was she even there?"

"Because she's a fucking sadist and took pleasure in watching us get poked with needles?" Axel smirked and ran his fingers over said piercing, his expression fading into something more contemplative. "What's got you so reminiscent tonight? It got anything to do with your rearranging the living room?"

Saïx remained silent for several moments. "Had a bit of a wakeup call. That's all." He brushed his lips against Axel's, his tongue tracing the part of his lips, coaxing his mouth open, signaling the end of the conversation. Axel cupped his head in his hands, holding him there, Saïx's hands to either side of his head, fisted in the sheets. Tongue slid against tongue, tracing the contours of his mouth, quiet noises of pleasure slipping past lips as the two moved against each other, the space between their bodies diminishing by the second. Axel thrust his hips up against Saïx, silently urging him to get on with it. Fists unfurled from the bedspread, slipping between them, unfastening pants and fumbling to remove them without breaking the kiss completely, kicking them off as they fell to their ankles.

"Fuck..." Axel hissed as their erections rubbed against each other, his fingers tightening their grip in Saïx's hair. They shifted clumsily until they were comfortably situated on the bed. Saïx's mouth travelled down Axel's body with practiced precision, tonguing and nipping all the spots he knew would drive him crazy, smirking as Axel's breath hitched, his tongue sliding along the curve of Axel's navel. "Stop teasing, you fuck," he groaned, hips twitching upwards and fingers pressing against Saïx's scalp. He took him into his mouth, lips curled slightly over his teeth, tongue pressing firmly against the saliva-moistened flesh. His hands held Axel's hips still as his mouth moved up and down, tongue curling around with each change in movement. Unrelenting in his rhythm, breathing through his nose, he brought Axel to orgasm, swallowing the salty fluid without a second thought.

As he pulled back, Axel shifted onto his stomach, glancing over his shoulder at Saïx whose hands were gliding up his thighs, massaging his ass as he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the small of his back before pulling away. He reached over to the nightstand, pulling open the drawer. His fingers shuffled around, seeking out a foil packet. He opened it, letting the wrapper fall to the floor as he unrolled the lubricated condom along his cock. He grabbed the bottle of lube and squeezed some of the slick fluid onto his fingers, letting it warm up before pushing one finger, then two into him, adding more lube until Axel was begging for more, his hips rocking against Saïx's hand.

Satisfied, Saïx closed the bottle and tossed it back into the nightstand drawer, rubbing the excess lube onto his cock before slowly burying himself inside him. He reached under Axel's hips and began stroking him, building up a matching rhythm between the strokes and thrusts, both men panting and grunting until Saïx collapsed against him, name slipping past his lips in a moan, hand stilling in a sticky mess. They laid like that a few moments before Saïx pulled away, removing the condom and wrapping it in a tissue before tossing it into the trash. He moved to the bathroom, leaving the door open, flipping on the switch and turning on the water to wash up. Axel watched him from the bed, smiling and struggling not to fall asleep before Saïx returned, a warm washcloth in hand for him to clean up with.

He couldn't bring himself to care anymore about what had put Saïx into this mood as he dropped the now dirty washcloth to the floor and pulled him in for one last kiss good night. As Axel drifted off to sleep, Saïx laid there, looking up at the ceiling, his mind playing over the meeting he'd had with his thesis advisor that afternoon.

* * *

The older man had come onto him, offering to write his thesis for him in exchange for sex. Saïx had been caught off guard by the bribe, never once having suspected that Tom would pull something like that.

His silence was taken for acquiescence and a mouth was pressed to his, tasting of stale coffee and cigarettes. He lost himself in the kiss for a moment, the taste reminding him of Axel, before he bit down hard on his lips, nearly drawing blood and pushing him away with unnecessary force. Saïx had stormed out of the office, the other man calling after him, "You're too uptight. I bet you haven't been fucked in months."

The event resulted in him catching the green line home, not wanting to risk running into any of his bandmates, or worse yet Axel, while his mouth tasted like someone else and his head was swimming with confusing thoughts. He walked into the apartment and threw a large expensive decorative vase across the room, watching as it smashed to pieces, debris flying all over the living room area. He broke a few more things in a rage before collapsing to his knees screaming and pounding his fists against the floor in frustration at his advisor, and at himself for having given in for even half a second.

When he calmed down, Saïx got to his feet and spent the next ten minutes thoroughly brushing his teeth and tongue, gargling antiseptic mouthwash multiple times before he felt satisfactorily cleansed. He stepped out of the bathroom and back into the mess of the living room and sighed as he went to grab the broom and dustpan. He cleaned up all the broken pieces and rearranged the room so the missing items would be less noticeable. He took out the garbage and returned to find he'd missed a call from Axel. He checked the voicemail message which consisted of Axel telling him about the plans for the evening and how the meeting with Leon had went.

Saïx spent the rest of the afternoon thinking about what had happened, and why; of what his relationship with Axel had become and how he could fix it. Whether or not he should keep that meeting to himself, if he was prepared to accept the consequences of a bad reaction from Axel.

* * *

Late Wednesday night found the large group of friends crammed into a booth and a half at Standee's as Axel finished up his shift in the kitchen. He worked at the dive diner one evening a week as a cook, his shift ending sometime between 1 and 2am, or whatever time his replacement arrived. He'd started working there when he was eighteen as a means to pay off the damage he'd caused by playing with a lighter and setting one of the booth seats on fire in the process - not that they'd ever bothered repairing it beyond slapping a piece of duct tape over the burn mark, like all the other 'upholstery repairs' in the restaurant. He stuck around though because the pay was decent and they didn't expect too much of him. Besides, getting someone to hire you when you had tattoos on your face wasn't all that easy. And concealer was for pansies.

He washed his hands and joined the group, straddling a chair that was pulled up to the table next to Saïx. Marluxia, his arm draped possessively around Larxene, and Vexen sitting as far from them as possible in the small space, sat on one side of the booth with Demyx, Naminé and Xaldin on the other side. Zexion sat alone in the booth behind them, legs spread out along the seat and arm draped across the back so he could somewhat face the group and join the conversation. He seemed content to sit alone, and aside from a cup of coffee, the table was covered with digital proof sheets and traditional yet experimental prints slipped into plastic sleeves. Naminé was holding one of the sleeves in her hand, her and Demyx studying a proof sheet from their last show.

Mel, the waitress for the night shift, brought Axel a mug of coffee and topped off everyone else's mugs. "Decide what you want yet?" She asked, holding the coffee pot in one hand, hanging dangerously close to Zexion's prints. He protectively pulled them out of range and scowled, not that she noticed.

"Chocolate shake," Demyx said with a grin. They ate there so often that he didn't have to add that he wanted extra whipped cream and two cherries on top, Mel already knew.

"I'll take a slice of apple pie," said Naminé. Xaldin and Axel both ordered burgers with fries.

"Chili fries," Marluxia said, motioning to Larxene to indicate they'd be sharing.

Vexen ordered two eggs over hard with dry wheat toast, and Saïx a stack of pancakes with a side of sausage. Zexion ordered nothing as usual. As she walked away, Axel started telling them a story about this guy who'd come in during the dinner rush who took up two seats by the window for his wide ass.

"Susie came over and hollered the order at me. The guy wanted a cup of chili, a burger, two eggs over easy, sausage, bacon, hash browns, pancakes and a," he burst into laughter, holding one finger up as he tried to stop laughing, "and he wanted a fucking diet coke to drink. What the fuck? Who orders a meal like that and then asks for a fucking diet coke?"

"What, no dessert?" Larxene asked snidely.

"I think that's what the pancakes were supposed to be. He drowned them in syrup. Susie had to refill the syrup bottle after he left."

"I'm surprised he didn't leave on a gurney." Vexen looked horrified and thanked whatever deity there was out there that he was studying to work in pharmaceuticals and not as a doctor.

"Too bad he didn't go to Dick's, I'm sure Larxene would have loved to have him at her table." Marluxia laughed.

"I would have torn him a new one." Larxene smirked. She worked at Dick's Last Stand, a restaurant where she was paid to be humorously snarky to her customers. She had to tone it down a little, after a customer had complained that she'd been too much of a bitch and not in a funny way.

"While we're talking about weird customers, you should have seen the kid that came into Kstarke today," Demyx said.

"Ugh. I hate that kid. It's not the first time he's come in there asking stupid questions," Xaldin groaned.

"He wasn't that bad, just odd. He kept asking questions about which band was better, and naming off all these obscure bands. I think he was hoping to stump us."

"No, he was just being a douche who thought he was superior because he knows all these underground bands from twenty years before he was born."

"He wasn't that young, Xaldin. He was probably in high school."

"Fine. Ten years before he was born. If I felt generous, I would buy one of those t-shirts that say 'I listen to bands that don't even exist yet' and give it to him next time he comes in. But I don't."

The converstion was interrupted when Mel finally came out with their food. She brought Zexion a side of hash browns, saying: "You're too skinny, you should eat something, hun." She always brought him something random, usually something the cook had made by mistake but hadn't been taken out of the kitchen yet. He never complained. She walked away and returned a minute later to top off their coffees.

Snippets of conversation were exchanged as they ate, Vexen complaining about how he had to work every day the week after next because of the Battle of the Bands competition. He was a bartender at Seventh Heaven, the elite bar slash venue on the lobby and basement floor of the Hotel, where the competition was being held. Naminé, upon finishing her pie got into a discussion with Zexion about which photos she'd like to see enlarged and whether or not they'd look good printed on fliers advertising their next show.

It was 4am before everyone piled out of the booth to go pay. Vexen and Zexion leaving together in Zexion's car. Marluxia, Larxene and Xaldin walking down the road to their apartment building - Xaldin and Marluxia were roommates and Larxene had become, more or less, the third roommate when she started dating Marluxia, spending more time there than at her own place. Saïx had slipped outside while everyone was paying and had called a taxi, which was waiting for him, Axel, Demyx and Naminé to take them back to the Hotel.

* * *

Most of the remaining week and a half was spent avoiding Xemnas. They used the studio and practice rooms while he was in meetings, and busied themselves with classes, work and anything else they could think of to fill the time. Two days before the competition, Xemnas finally cornered Saïx on his way back from class.

"I must be seeing things because last week I was positive I saw that Eight-Finger Dichotomy was on the lineup for Radiant Record's Battle of the Bands. I knew that couldn't be right though, because you're already signed to Thirteen. I know you wouldn't plan on defecting when I've gone to such extravagances for you. It's not easy or cheap to be able to use the best recording studios in the city. You understand that a breech of contract would be costly to both you and Radiant Records."

"We're using the opportunity to get our name even more out there. You can't get better advertising than participation in the competition," Saïx said. "Unless you'd rather foot the bill for advertising of that scope."

Xemnas opened his mouth then closed it, taking a deep breath. "Very well. Make it to the finals - but don't win - or it's a waste of time." He didn't wait for a response and walked away.


	5. Welcome to Chicago, Motherfuckers

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters. They belong to Tetsuya Nomura, Square Enix and some to Disney  
**  
Author's Note:** Thanks to Maxie, my superb beta who catches all my stupid typos and more. Set sometime between the present and not too distant future, mostly in Chicago, lying somewhere between reality and pure fantasy. Rated M for sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Welcome to Chicago, Motherfuckers**

* * *

"Look at all the snow," Sora said, his nose pressed to the window nearest their baggage claim while they waited.

"It's not like you've never seen snow before," Kairi said, chuckling.

"Yeah, but that was in the mountains and this? Is _not_ the mountains."

Riku walked up behind him, arms encircling his waist, bending down slightly to place his chin on his shoulder. "Want to build a snowman after we get checked in?"

"I'm not twelve, Riku."

"You're acting like it," Selphie replied.

"I didn't ask you."

"Well, do you?"

"Of course, dumbass." Sora laughed. "Followed by a snowball fight and a nice soak in the hot tub... They do have one, right?"

"At a place like that? I'm _positive_ they have more than one."

"Hey guys. There's a shuttle we can call to come pick us up," Selphie said. "Better than taking all this with us on the train."

"Why didn't we think of that back home?" Kairi asked.

"Probably because none of us has taken a flight without our parents before?" Selphie said as she pulled out the mirror again, checking her hair. "Hey, Riku? Do you have our reservation confirmation number? They'll probably want it when I call."

"Yeah." He pulled away from Sora and reached into his back pocket, procuring his wallet. He leafed through the billfold, seeking the folded paper with their reservation details. "Here it is," he said as he handed it to her. He put his wallet away and was immediately pulled into a hug by Sora.

"We should order some room service tonight."

"It probably costs an arm and a leg and is _not_ included in that entry fee we paid.

"Please, just once? It doesn't have to be anything big. I just want food delivered to the room."

"We'll see what the prices are like first."

"You're the best." Sora grinned before stretching up to kiss Riku.

A little girl in the background tugged on her mom's coat. "Ew, those boys are kissing each other."

"Shh. Don't stare," her mom replied.

Sora blushed as he pulled away from Riku, but Riku leaned in for another kiss then whispered, "Ignore them," against his lips. "We're not doing anything wrong."

"I know."

"So? I love you and if straight couples can kiss in airports, so can we. I don't care what they think."

"Would you two get a room," Kairi teased.

"Hey, no comments from the peanut gallery," Sora said over Riku's shoulder, a big grin on his face. "You could always kiss Selphie if you feel left out."

"No thanks," Selphie replied, returning from making the phone call. Kairi pretended to pout. "Sorry, Kai, I love you but you're like a sister to me."

"I know," she replied with a laugh. "Although... There was that one time..."

"We were drunk and it was a bet that won us $50. It was worth it."

"When did this happen and why are we only finding out about it now?" Riku asked.

"Years ago on spring break. And like Vegas, what happens on spring break is meant to stay there." Selphie shot Kairi a glare.

"Oh come on. It's Riku and Sora. It's not like Wakka and Tidus are here."

"You're right. They'd have a field day with it."

The conveyors behind them started to move and they turned to look for their luggage. It was easy to find as everything had a sticker with their band logo on it attached, making them stand out easily amongst all the like colored airline baggage tags.

* * *

After they'd unpacked and gotten settled into their living quarters for the week, they headed down to the pool on the 4th floor, towels and swimwear draped over their winter coat clad arms. They dropped their things on the lounge chairs and suspiciously made their way to the door that led to the outdoor winterized pool. There was plenty of snow piled around on the pool deck.

Sora grinned as they walked into the snow, picking up a handful in his gloved hands, packing it into a ball and tossed it at Riku.

"Hey, I thought we were building a snowman _first_."

"We are. I was checking to see if the snow would hold - and it does."

Riku picked up a handful, packing it tightly. "Hmm, looks like you're right," he said, lobbing it at Sora.

"That _hurt_. What did you do? Melt it into an iceball?"

"Not on purpose and I've never heard you complain about how warm my hands are before."

"That's because you've never thrown an _iceball_ at me."

"Sure I did. Remember that time in fifth grade when our parents took us to Colorado for winter break?"

"That doesn't count. I wasn't thinking about all the good uses you could put your hands to back then." He threw another snowball and Riku ducked, the snow hitting Kairi in the face. "Shit! I'm sorry, Kairi. My _boyfriend_ is being a dick and ducked."

Kairi brushed the snow off her face as Selphie made a snowball to throw at Sora in her defense, quickly turning the fight into an all out war.

An hour later - snowman building long forgotten - out of breath and legs numb from the cold, they lumbered back inside, shedding their coats, gloves and hats onto the lounge chairs, trading them for their swimwear. They then hit the locker rooms to change so they could enjoy the hot tub.

* * *

"Wow, this place is nice," Xion said, looking around their suite. "The lobby was impressive and all, but I didn't think the rooms could actually _rival_ it."

"I can't believe this is only costing us $600 for the entire week." Roxas fell back onto one of the king sized beds - there were two in each room; the boys were each taking their own, Seifer and Roxas sharing one room while Rai and the girls took the other, the girls _gladly_ sharing a bed. Xion and Fuu were standing in the doorway connecting the two rooms, Seifer and Rai were sitting on the edge of the other bed in the room.

"The record company owns this. Renting rooms this cheap is probably nothing to them," Seifer said as he opened the mini bar. "That and they're charging a minimum of four dollars each for those little shot bottles."

"We should ask Pence at dinner if he knows anywhere around here we can get alcohol at normal prices," Xion said.

"When and where are we meeting them again?" Roxas said, yawning mid-sentence.

"The Cheesecake Factory in an hour, y'know."

"Good, I'm taking a nap first. Wake me in twenty."

"So you can fix your hair first?"

"Yeah."

"You're such a girl," Xion said with a laugh. "I don't even take five minutes to do my hair. I don't get how it can take you twenty minutes."

"Shut up and let me nap."

Rai and Seifer followed the girls into the other room, closing the door behind them.

"I say we wake him ten minutes before we have to leave. We're meeting up with Hayner, Pence and Olette. Who's he got to impress?"

"Hayner," Fuu suggested.

"Nah, he's not interested in him like that."

"How do you know?" Xion asked. "He's been talking to him a lot the last couple of weeks."

"I just know."

"Positive?"

"Positive. He'd have said something if he was. Roxas isn't the type to beat around the bush when he's interested in someone. At least not when he's talking to his friends." _Or when drunk,_ he mentally added. Seifer grabbed the remote control off the table and turned on the tv. The four of them channel surfed until it was time to wake Roxas.

Fuu steped into the other room and leaned over Roxas, shouting, "Get up," and moving out of the way quickly.

Roxas woke with a start, sitting up and rubbing his ear. "You didn't have to shout."

"Maybe." She gave him a half smile before walking back into the other room.

Glancing over at the clock, Roxas flung himself out of the bed and rummaged through his suitcase for his bag of hair care products. Upon finding it, he rushed into the bathroom, turning the shower on to hot. He grabbed a towel off the rack and draped it over his shoulders before briefly submerging his hair under the shower spray. He turned off the water then used the towel to dry his hair, face and neck, letting it fell to the floor in a lump when he was done. He could hear the others laughing in the background.

"Shut up, assholes," he shouted.

"You shouldn't talk to the girls like that."

"I was talking to you. You've got one and you're a giant asshole on top of that."

"Touché."

"No one asked for your input, Fuu. Hurry up in there, gel boy, and what about Rai?"

"Rai's cool and it's not _gel_ it's texturizing cream and sculpting wax." His response was met with more laughter.

"Whatever. Just hurry it up, will you."

Half an hour later, with perfectly spiked hair, Roxas and the others piled out of the taxi in front of the plaza where the Cheesecake Factory was located. Xion looked around as they stepped out into the chilly air, and spotted their friends huddled together down by the entrance. She carefully rushed down the stairs and ran over to them, enveloping them in a group hug.

"I've missed you guys so much."

"We missed you, too," Olette said, grinning and pulling her into another hug.

The rest of the group joined them a moment later, everyone exchanging hugs - that is, aside from Seifer and Hayner. Seifer awkwardly held his hand out to Hayner who reluctantly shook his hand after a moment's pause, mumbling a "Good to see you again."

"Our table should be ready in a minute," Pence said. "We called ahead."

"That reminds me. The girl who's going to be our server... Anne, I think? She said she doesn't care how long we stay as long as we tip to make up for it," Olette said, smiling brightly while Hayner looked ready to hurl himself into Lake Michigan.

Roxas shot him a look and mouthed, "You promised."

"You owe me big time," Hayner mouthed back.

"Inside," Fuu said, holding the door open.

Everyone followed her into the restaurant, Hayner and Seifer carefully timing it so they could avoid each other on the way in.

"I'm Anne and I'll be your server tonight. This way," she said, leading them to a big table near the back of the restaurant. She handed over their menus and promised to return in a few minutes for their drink orders.

Their careful timing backfired when the only empty seats left put Hayner and Seifer across from each other - trapped against the wall, Rai and Roxas shifting their seats back close to the tables behind them.

"Sorry guys," Roxas said, not looking the least bit apologetic.

"It's good for you, y'know."

"Right."

"I hate you," Hayner said.

"You'll thank us later," Olette said.

"I promise I won't bite," Seifer said, resigning himself to the situation they were now placed in.

"Fuck off."

"I told _both _of you to try and be civil." Roxas shot them both a glare. "It's the first time we've all been together in ages. I don't want your squabble to ruin it for the rest of us."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have forced us to sit next to each other, which you _promised_ I wouldn't have to do."

"If you two weren't so busy trying to avoid each other you might have wound up at different ends of the table. And you're not sitting next to him. You're across from him. There's a difference." Roxas smirked while Hayner called him an asshole under his breath.

Anne returned a few minutes later to take their drink orders, everyone except Roxas and Xion ordering alcohol, being the only two underage.

"So not fair," Roxas said with a sigh.

"Consider it punishment for making me sit next to him."

"Across from."

"Cheer up, you'll be twenty-one in less than two weeks," Olette pointed out.

"It doesn't feel that soon."

"It'll be here faster than you know. And then you'll wonder what all the fuss was about."

"Only because of the killer hangover he'll have the next day," Seifer said, clapping Roxas on the shoulder and everyone laughed. Seifer was the only one to notice the forced quality to Hayner's laugh.

* * *

Axel whistled and made a few lewd comments as they walked into the competition suite they'd been assigned. It was quite the step up from the room they'd been in before. Demyx and Naminé were relieved that they would be able to have not only their own room separate from the couple, but be able to have their own beds.

"Xemnas is such a cheapskate. He acts like that tiny ass room we were in was extravagant, luxurious and... ooooh, we have a mini-bar," Axel said as he noticed the small fridge.

"Don't touch it. Don't even _think _about touching it," Saïx warned. "It's overpriced and won't be going on Xemnas's tab."

"I just wanted to look."

"No."

"You could always ask your dad to pay for it."

"I'm not extorting my father."

"It's not like you're on good terms with him. He's giving you fucking hush money. What's it going to hurt?"

"Dammit, Axel," Saïx growled, slamming his fist against the table between them. Demyx and Naminé quietly shut the door behind them as they tiptoed out of the room.

"I was only kidding. Relax, will ya?"

"I don't want to hear you make another comment like that - joking or not."

"Okay, okay. You'll never hear anything like that again."

"I take what money he gives me, but I'm not going to ask for more to buy needless things."

"I get the point," Axel said, throwing is hands up in defeat before sinking down into one of the over-stuffed armchairs. "Can we just forget I even said anything and move on?"

"That just proves you don't get the point." Saïx sighed and rubbed his forehead as though the conversation were giving him a headache.

"I-"

"Hold that thought and let me finish." Axel nodded, closed his mouth and moved his fingers in front of his lips pretending to zip them closed.

"Believe it or not, despite my father's hideous reaction to my lifestyle and choice of partner, I still love him. He's my father and until I came out to him he supported me in every way a father should. Now it's merely financially. No one in our family has ever been openly gay and he wants to keep it that way. My uncle might be queer as it gets, but he maintains the façade of heterosexuality. He's married, has three kids, and goes on _business_ trips that usually consist of him going to Ibeza and cutting loose where no one in our family can see him marring the family name.

"I know that doesn't mean much to you since your family is fine with your choices."

Axel interrupted, "They're not fine with it. They just turn a blind eye and I hope I fucking grow out of it like I did with playing Pokémon and sucking my thumb."

"The point is, your family is not _old money_. They don't have the same appearances to keep up in society. Money talks and that's how my father is trying to keep his world view in order. Dying my hair blue? He can deal with that. Rebellion like that is nothing in my family. It's something that can be changed when the time comes - and he expects that time to come soon.

"The only time I get to see him now is on the first of the month when we meet to go over finances. And it's the _only_ reason I take the money. This master's degree in Political Science I'm so close to receiving? I don't even want it! I don't give a _fuck_ about Poli Sci." Saïx's voice was starting to raise. "I'm only bothering with it because it will give him _something_ to brag to the family about. That his son is something to be proud of. Something to replace 'My son is a fucking homosexual disgrace and a fucking nobody in this world'. He doesn't give a shit about the band. He probably expects it to go away with the blue hair and my sexual preferences when I complete my degree and join the _real_ world."

Axel stared at Saïx, wondering where all of this was coming from and why Saïx had never talked about any of it before. He'd managed to open the floodgate with one _simple_ but rude comment. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off before he could even get a word out.

"I know things haven't been what they could be lately, and yes, I heard pieces of Zexion and Vexen's conversation in the car the other week. The one you were very obviously trying to prevent me from paying any attention to. I love my father and I care about making him proud, but he's _far_ from the only reason I'm doing any of this. If I can distract him with my degree, if I can appease him with it... I'm fucking getting this degree so I can be with _you_. All of this? Is for you. If I hadn't fucking fallen for you, I probably wouldn't have considered coming out to my father., but I didn't want to hide us. I've been putting myself through all this stress for you. And you can't deal with not getting _all_ of my attention. You have to share it with the band and my thesis.

"If you can't deal with it, get the fuck out right now and don't come back," he shouted, the veins nearest his scar surging with blood, giving the scar an angry appearance. "Make up your mind right now so I can know what the hell I'm doing with my life. Tell me I haven't made a mistake in making these sacrifices for you. Are you going to stay and deal with sharing the spotlight? Stick with me knowing that I'm not going to be able to give you all the attention you crave? Or are you going to pack your things and find someone else to lavish you with attention?"

Completely stunned by Saïx's tirade, Axel sat there a moment, staring wide-eyed at him, deciding how best to approach things. He wondered if making any sudden movements would set him off again, or if he'd be able to get close enough to calm him down. Axel gave him the most reassuring expression he could as he stood up, arms spread as he approached, pulling him into a hug.

"I'll stay. I'll stay. Calm down. You're scaring me and I'm sorry I put my foot in it. If you'd said something instead of bottling it up we wouldn't have had this fight." Saïx tensed despite the reassuring words and soothing tone of Axel's voice, prompting him to cling even tighter for a moment before pulling back to look him in the eye to prove he was being sincere. "I can't change who I am, but I'll try to make this work. I'll try not to give up just because things are a little boring. Okay? Don't give up on me yet." He pressed his lips to Saïx's, eager for a good reaction. Hoping that the words he'd just said meant something to the other man.

Saïx's hands moved up to Axel's face, fingers threading through his hair, pouring every emotion he was feeling into the kiss. Axel moaned as Saïx pushed his tongue into his mouth, stepping closer to him, causing him to stumble backwards, not stopping until Axel was pressed beneath him on the bed.

The kiss was sloppy, breathy and full of need. Axel's hands slid the few inches down to his ass, grabbing it for leverage as he thrust upwards. He couldn't really breathe and he didn't care, he didn't want Saïx's lips to leave his mouth right now, too afraid that his thoughts would slip past. Because he doubted things would continue if Saïx knew half the reason he stuck around after the fights, the reason he apologized at all was because the make-up sex was good. More than _good_. So he continued kissing until the thought was pushed out of his mind and replaced with 'clothes off' and 'breathe', in that order.

* * *

"It's been quiet in there for awhile... Do you think it's safe to check in?"

"I don't know. I didn't hear any doors slam but I'm not hearing anything else, either."

"You don't think they killed each other, do you?"

Naminé laughed. "Don't be silly, Demyx."

"Should we look? I think we should look. Maybe Saïx punched him and knocked Axel out. I wouldn't put it past him."

"Saïx isn't abusive. He reacts violently sometimes, but he's never harmed anyone... just ceramics and glass. Relax. You don't need to look."

"I'm going to look." Demyx stood up and walked over to the door dividing their rooms and knocked lightly before opening the door. "Knock, knock. I'm just checking to make sure... OH GOD. I'M SO SORRY!" He quickly shut the door and turned to face Naminé. "I shouldn't have looked. I need brain bleach, now."

"I told you that you didn't need to."

"Well you should have said, 'Demyx, don't look because Saïx has his dick up Axel's ass.' I would have listened then."

"I didn't say that because I didn't want to think about it, and I didn't want to be responsible for putting the mental image into your head."

Demyx rubbed his eyes, trying to get the image that was burned into his retinas out. "I never want to see that again. Oh god. Why did I have to look? Oh god oh god oh god. Please tell me this is a nightmare and I'm about to wake up." He pinched his arm but nothing about the situation changed and he looked even more panicked than he had before.

Naminé covered her mouth as she laughed. "Demyx, sit down and breathe. You're going to hyperventilate if you don't calm down." He did as she said, closing his eyes and doing the deep breathing exercises he watched his mother do when she was in her Indian-hippie-yoga phase, the same phase that had introduced him to the sounds of the sitar.

A few moments later, Axel sheepishly poked his head into the room, giving Naminé an apologetic look. "Is everything okay in here?"

He stepped into the room and looked over at Demyx, who slowly opened his eyes, prepared for full frontal nudity and relieved to find Axel fully clothed. "It's fine," Demyx squeaked out.

"It's safe Saïx, you can come in. I don't think Demyx is going to kill you," Axel said over his shoulder.

"Sorry about... all of that, really," Saïx said. "For the fight and..." he paused to carefully choose his next words, "everything after."

"It's okay, man. Next time lock the door if you're going to do that."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The room went silent after that and Axel leaned against the tv stand, left arm folded across his chest, supporting his right elbow, his hand partially covering his mouth as he looked deep in thought. A moment later he snapped out of his trance and with a big grin asked, "Anyone hungry? Let's get dinner. I'm famished."

Naminé laughed first, then Demyx and Saïx joined in. All the drama of the afternoon melted away.

"Pizza sounds really good right now," Demyx said, practically salivating as he said it. "Like _really_ good. And a chocolate milkshake." He paused a moment and looked to Axel and Saïx. "The two of you are paying for it to atone for the trauma you put me through. My insurance will cover the therapy I'm going to need."

"I doubt it scarred you that badly," Axel replied cracking up. "But I'll pay, since it was my fault that any of that happened."

"For the therapy?"

"No, for the pizza and milkshake. Do I look like I have the money to pay for your therapy?"

"No," everyone said at once, sending them into another round of laughter.

"So cruel. Why am I friends with you all?"

"Because you love us," Naminé suggested.

"Damn, that love thing really makes you do some stupid shit." Axel laughed.

"Maybe, but it's worth it, isn't it?"

"I think you might be right, blondie," he said with a wink. "Now let's get out of here before my stomach decides to eat itself."


End file.
